9th Media Literacy Days Bring Together More Than 34,000 Participants

Zagreb, 10 June 2025 - The ninth Media Literacy Days, dedicated to empathy in the digital environment, brought together more than 34,000 children, young people and education professionals across Croatia, confirming both the growing interest in and the need for systematic investment in and development of media literacy among children, young people and adults. As part of the 9th Media Literacy Days, 686 events were held, including a total of 2,144 workshops, lectures, screenings and panel discussions. The programme was delivered by more than 1,200 early childhood educators, teachers and librarians in 440 schools and kindergartens across the country.

A new educational resource, “Empathy in the Digital Environment”, was presented, offering education professionals practical tools for working with children and young people - from early childhood education to secondary school level. An updated edition of the brochure on disinformation was also published. Two animated films - Media Fears and First Mobile Phone - were adapted for use with the youngest audiences. A total of 77 educational materials are now available on the medijskapismenost.hr portal - ranging from workshop guides and videos to quizzes.

The film competition “Change the Story - Click for Empathy”, organised by the Agency for Electronic Media, the UNICEF Office for Croatia, the Croatian Film Association and the Pula Film Festival, recorded a record response this year, with 97 submitted films and video works. Winners in the primary and secondary school categories will be announced on 10 July as part of the Pula Film Festival’s accompanying programme.

Year after year, Media Literacy Days confirm their important role in strengthening critical thinking, responsible behaviour and mutual understanding in the digital space. At a time when online communication strongly shapes relationships among young people, developing empathy is becoming the foundation for a safer and more inclusive digital environment.

Media Literacy Days are organised by the Media Regulatory Authority and UNICEF under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Media and the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth.

Media Literacy Days were launched in 2018 by the Media Regulatory Authority and the UNICEF Office for Croatia to educate and inform children, parents, early childhood educators and teachers about media literacy. The initiative serves as a platform for collaboration in promoting media literacy and supporting educators through the development of media education materials, and is implemented under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Media and the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth. From 2018 to date, more than 3,900 events have been held with over 200,000 participants. A total of 77 educational materials have been published, which have been downloaded more than 1.5 million times from the medijskapismenost.hr portal and are used throughout the year for media education in families, kindergartens, schools, libraries and other institutions. During previous editions, the film competition for children and young people, organised in cooperation with the Croatian Film Association, has received a total of 435 films by young authors.